- Role
- Creative Direction
- Art Direction
- UX/UI Lead
- Agency
- Another Circus
- Duration
- 6 months
- Year
- June 2023 - January 2024
What is Moodstream01
Moodstream is a royalty free music streaming service, tailored for businesses.
From hotels and spas to lounges, restaurants, and beyond, Moodstream helps businesses tailor the ambiance to their audience's needs.
Moodstream offers a diverse range of high-quality, curated genres including jazz, classical, lounge, meditational, and ambient music.
The employee is tasked with selecting suitable music for each room, or even scheduling various music genres at specific times, cultivating a memorable ambiance that resonates deeply with guests.
My role
Lead a team of three individuals through the creative design process, starting from the initial brainstorming and UX exploration phases and culminating in the delivery of the final UI product and branding components.
Demonstrate all UX flows and features using interactive prototypes.
Ensure the design system maintains consistency and functionality to meet the development timeline milestone.
The Challenge
Design a sleek and efficient music streaming service that surpasses competitors in fucntional features, brand aesthetics, and ease of use.
Effective planning and time management were crucial factors for achieving success and meeting a tight deadline to release an MVP.
Challenge acceptedDesign process02
Timeline
As outlined in the challenge section, a meticulously structured timeline was required to encompass all phases from exploration to the delivery of the final product.
UX Research03
Competitor analysis
A competitive analysis was conducted to discern the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor and gain insight into the industry landscape of this business.
User Interview
User interviews were held online to gather information about interaction with music streaming services and features.
User personas
By scrutinizing the user interviews, two user personas were developed to pinpoint the pains and frustrations of the audience.
IA & Wireframes04
User flow diagram
A user flow diagram was generated to outline all the pages and establish the necessary features for the entire product.
Dashboard wireframe
The dashboard wireframe illustrates the concept of a prominent play/stop button, accompanied by volume control. It alsoprovides access to various rooms for separate control.
Multi-control Rooms Wireframe
A page view showcases an overview of all rooms, categorized and capable of being filtered and set to active or inactive status.
Scheduling Wireframe
A mockup showcasing an initial glimpse of the scheduling feature, allowing the assignment of various music genres to specific rooms at designated dates and times.
Creative Direction05
Moodboard
Following the presentation of several moodboards to the client, the chosen direction drew inspiration from smart home applications and analog music equipment hardware, aiming to evoke a real-world ambiance through shadows, light and space.
Branding
The logo took inspiration from music's analog soundwaves, incorporating the letter "M" into its design.
Key visual
The key visual concept conveys that Moodstream functions as a "mood essence," traversing through various rooms/areas of your business. The colors of these 3D lines remain consistent with the brand's color palette, extending to the final product UI as well.
Art direction | Neumorphism
Building upon the approved moodboard, the final art direction evolved towards neumorphism, crafting elements that evoke the sensation of the real world.
Breakdown
UX/UI Design06
User on-boarding
Once the user finishes the sign-up process and arrives at the main dashboard page, an onboarding tutorial initiates to guide the user through the placement and functionality of the various included features.
Prototype
Play/Stop & Change genre
Demonstrating the fundamental play/stop function alongside the capability to switch music genres and adjust intensity levels (variations).
Prototype
Scheduling rooms
The scheduling feature encompasses capabilities such as scheduling specific music genres for individual rooms, setting repeat rates through various options, and providing an overview of music playback across different rooms.
Prototype
Team management
Based on the two personas developed during the UX research phase, two types of accounts were created: the "Mood Admin" and "Assistant" accounts. The Mood Admin serves as the overall manager, assigning various rooms to different colleagues responsible for adjusting music volume or changing the mood (music genre) as needed for different occasions.
Prototype
Multiple room management
Displaying an overview of all rooms, including options to play/stop a room, set its status to active or inactive, and filter rooms based on their status or search by name.
Prototype
Dark mode
More than just a passing trend; business rooms can sometimes be located outdoors, where sunlight may reflect off the screen, creating visibility challenges. Dark and light modes guarantee appropriate color contrast for optimal visibility in any lighting condition.
Prototype
Mobile adaptations
Creating mobile adaptations for on-the-go convenience. Business workers may not always be stationed in front of a computer. Quick actions such as play/stop, changing music genres, and adjusting volume were implemented to ensure accessibility at all times.
Design system
Ensuring product consistency by establishing a comprehensive design system that caters to various needs and their corresponding states. This facilitates effective communication with developers, crucial for meeting tight deadlines efficiently.
Landing page
Finally, a landing page was crafted and implemented to increase awareness about Moodstream and its features, facilitate account sign-ups, and provide users with a preview of the final product and its benefits.
Prototype
Conclusions07
- Results
- Admins and assistants streamline operations through managing room customization, automated scheduling, and assigning rooms to various employees, saving valuable time.
- A comprehensive brand package paired with the final product capable of initiating third-party collaborations and securing future fundings.
- A business-focused music streaming application that outperforms competitors across multiple features.
- Impact
- Outperforming the traditional music rights business model in terms of cost by 50-60%
- Provide Royalty-free music that can be played without paying additional royalties to composers or artists
- Happier employees! Happier customers! Moodstream's algorithm ensures that songs are not repeated frequently, preventing employee frustration from hearing the same playlists repeatedly. Additionally, setting the right music mood for customers can boost business sales.
- Reflections
- Simplicity is key, yet not always simple to attain. Crafting a minimal yet functional product that surpasses competitors within a tight timeline can be demanding. However, it necessitates thorough estimation and organization of all aspects for a successful product delivery.
- While neumorphism in art direction isn't groundbreaking in design trends, it requires meticulous attention to detail (lights, shadows & backgrounds) for every element to display appropriately based on its size and position across various screen sizes.
